‘Herbal Ed’ Smith named ABC Champion Award recipient

Ed Smith, medical herbalist and co-founder of Herb Pharm, has been named the recipient of the American Botanical Council’s second Champion Award.

The ABC Champion Award was created to recognize an individual or individuals who have been outstanding supporters of ABC, helping the organization promote and achieve its mission. The generosity of ABC’s friends and members is vital to the nonprofit’s continued success and growth.

Smith’s career spans more than four decades of learning and teaching about herbs and their benefits. He was a founding member of the American Herbalist Guild, taught at the California School of Herbal Studies for over a decade, and co-founded Herb Pharm in 1979.

Herb Pharm, an herbal products manufacturing company, in Williams, OR, has been an unwavering supporter of ABC and its educational mission and programs, said ABC in a statement. In addition, Smith recently made a generous personal donation.

“I have always appreciated Ed’s strong personal and professional commitment to herb ingredient quality, and I consider him to be one of the best herbal medicine makers in North America,”​ said ABC Founder and Executive Director Mark Blumenthal. “Ed is a highly passionate advocate for the herbal agenda.”​

“Ed Smith has been a close personal friend and professional colleague for almost 40 years, since we met at an Herb Trade Association herb symposium at the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1978,” ​added Blumenthal. “From the very beginning of ABC in 1988, he and his company Herb Pharm have always been at the forefront of companies that have advocated for ABC and its unique nonprofit educational mission to promote the responsible use of herbs and phytomedicines.” ​

“I am very happy to be receiving the ABC Champion Award from the American Botanical Council,”​ said Smith. “I’m honored by this recognition of my and Herb Pharm’s support of ABC and its important work for herbal medicine consumers, the American herb industry, and the herbal academic and sciences community.”​

The 11th Annual ABC Botanical Celebration and Awards Ceremony will take place on March 10, 2016, in Anaheim, California. The event, for ABC Sponsor Members, occurs during Natural Products Expo West.